Wheaton Precious Metals' Dividend History: What Investors Need To Know

Wheaton Precious Metals' Dividend History: What Investors Need To Know

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp (NYSE: WPM) is a unique way to invest in the gold and silver space. Its top- and bottom-lines are tied to the sale of these precious metals, but it doesn't own or operate a single mine. And then there's its dividend, which doubled in a single quarter in 2013 only to be cut, in little increments, by more than 60% over the next year or so. It's on the rise again, but why? And what should you expect from here? This is what you need to know about Wheaton Precious Metals and its dividend history to answer questions like these and to decide if this dividend paying precious metals investment is right for you.

The first thing to understand about Wheaton is that it's not a miner, it's a precious metals streaming company. That means it pays cash up front to miners for the right to buy silver and gold at reduced prices in the future. Miners use the cash to shore up their balance sheets or, more often, build new mines or expand existing ones. Wheaton provides access to cash when other options, like banks and selling stock and bonds, aren't desirable.

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Source: Fool.com